Our mission is to empower, support, and develop students as they begin their journeys as entrepreneurs and founders.

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SKILLS

All Whiteboard Programs are skill-based experiential education programs. During your time with us, we will stress exploring and developing transferable, hard skills that will be beneficial to your academic and professional careers.

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SALES

Whiteboard Programs are revenue-first. We emphasis sales as the basis for business and do not over-emphasis fund raising or pitch decks. We work with students to identify opportunities to turn into commercial success.

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SUPPORT

All of our students are provided with support networks of mentors, business coaches, alumni, and experts. We have worked for years to cultivate a network of professionals who share a common commitment to student success.

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SUCCESS

We measure our success and the success of our students through skill development, sales performance, and growth metrics. Our incubator is designed on the principle of shared success. We are not repaid for our services until companies reach certain milestones.

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Global Startup Challenge

The Global Startup Challenge is a one to two week intensive boot-camp and competition designed to develop startup skills such as presentation, market validation, and budgeting. The GSC takes place multiple times a year around the world, but our flagship location is in Boston, MA, where students from around the world come each July. Students who complete the GSC have a much better chance of being accepted into the Whiteboard Incubator.

Incubator

The Whiteboard Incubator is the first no-equity, no-tuition startup incubation program designed specifically for businesses owned and operated by high school students. The Incubator is a highly competitive program with no set acceptances. Some years will have multiple companies selected, some years may not have any. Accepted companies will be given office space, legal advice, marketing and sales guidance, and web development. The Incubator runs for six-weeks in Cambridge, MA.

The Whiteboard Incubator is not a typical summer program. We make small investments in companies owned and operated by high school students. Therefore, our application process is incredibly selective– if companies do not succeed, we do not succeed. There is no set number of students or companies that we will accept; some years will have larger classes, some years may only have one acceptance, some may have none at all.

Accepted companies and students will receive a package of services and support for our team of mentors, coaches, and experts. Companies accepted will be given office space in the CIC Cambridge, legal services, marketing and sales services, limited web and mobile development services. Housing and meals are not included but can be purchased.

Whiteboard Youth Ventures takes no equity in accepted ventures—founders own 100% of their companies. Instead, ventures will repay us for services provided only after predefined milestones are met. Each accepted company will have different milestones designed by our team. For example, a company may have a $10,000 sales milestone, after which point, the venture will repay us a royalty on each future sale until we have recouped our investment.

The Timeline

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December 1

Applications Open

Starting on December 1, 2016, we will be accepting requests for applications for the Whiteboard Incubator. Before a full application is sent to you, you must fill out the application request form. Applications for the Global Startup Challenge will also be accepted at this time.

First Round Acceptances

After reviewing our initial applications, we will accept our first round of companies for the Whiteboard Incubator. Accepted companies will have until January 30 to accept their spots, after which their spots will be released.

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March 1

Applications Close

All candidates for the class of 2017 must submit their applications by midnight on March 1, 2017. No applications will be reviewed or accepted after this date.

Final Acceptances

Final acceptances will be issued no later than March 10, 2017. Accepted students will have until March 15 to reserve their spots, after which point they will not be accepted. Students may defer their acceptance for one year.

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June 25 - July 28

Summer Incubator

Students in the class of 2017 are expected to be in Boston during the summer from June 25 until July 28. During this time, they will be provided with office space, mentors, and classes specifically designed to help their companies grow. Housing and meals are not included but may be purchased.

Frequently Asked Questions

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What is the Whiteboard Incubator?

The Whiteboard Incubator is a no-equity, no-tuition, four-week summer business program based in Cambridge, MA designed to help young founders prototype, validate their market, and begin the sales process.

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What will happen during the Incubator?

Accepted students will spend the majority of their day working directly on their company, building and testing prototypes, conducting customer research, building pre-launch audiences, and selling. Throughout the Incubator, experts that work for Hubspot, Microsoft, Google, and various Boston-area startups will work hands on with students. Each day there will be a workshop designed to teach a specific skill, such as email marketing, A/B testing, responsive design, UI/UX, digital marketing, and financial projecting.

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How is the Whiteboard Incubator different?

The Whiteboard Incubator is not a simulation of business, it is not about spending several weeks working on a pitch deck, and it is not a business plan program. We offer a true incubator experience, and we share in your success. That’s why there’s no tuition like other pay-to-play programs.

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What is the selection criteria?

The Incubator is not an academic program, we are a business program. We look for makers, creators, and hustlers. Show us that your business concept has viability and that you are committed to its success.

Frank E. Pobutkiewicz

Managing Director

Frank has been working with high school students for the past ten years, as the Managing Director of Whiteboard Youth Ventures and the All-American Model United Nations Programs. He has launched or advised the launch of multiple companies, including an international not-for-profit, a consumer electronics company, his two education ventures, and a men’s fashion company, among others. In 2017, Frank will publish his first book Brick by Brick: How to Build a Business While in High School. He holds degrees in Business and International Relations from Boston University.

Eliana Crosina

Education and Curriculum Advisor

Eliana Crosina is Doctoral Candidate in the Management and Organization Department at Boston College. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master in Business Administration from Babson College as well as a Master of Science in Organization Studies from Boston College. Her current research interests center on issues of identity in entrepreneurial contexts. Prior to her academic career she was an investment banker, and worked in the not-for profit sector for a decade.

James Johnson

Legal Coach

James is the founder of and principal attorney for First Venture Legal, a Massachusetts law practice focusing on early-stage startups and small businesses. He specializes in helping with matters such as incorporation, drafting agreements, and early-stage financing on a fixed-cost basis.

Gregory Kirber

Entrepreneur-in-Residence

Greg is the founder and CEO of PartsTech, a data aggregation platform that streamlines the location, evaluation, and order processes for wholesale automotive parts transactions for technicians and do it yourself mechanics. Greg attended Boston University and holds an MBA and JD from the University of Connecticut.

Philip Greenwald

Technology Coach

Phil is the founder and CEO of Code Undercover, a company that creates unique curricula for individuals to learn coding by focusing the course on building the student’s idea, and the Associate Director of Technology at the Harvard i-lab. He lectures on coding at leading institutions including Harvard Business School, Boston College, Tufts, and MassChallenge.

Jeff Maclaren

Financial Coach

Jeff has over 30 years of experience working in finance and analytics since his graduation from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton Business School. He currently works as a part time COO/CFO for small and medium sized businesses.

Alex Nguyen

Sales Coach

Alex Nguyen was the co-founder and COO of Jugo, a corporate gamification company based in Spain. Before entering the startup world, Alex received a JD and is an admitted member of the California State Bar. His competencies include IP law, startup operations, gamification, and business development.

Christine Jauregui

Entrepreneur-in-Residence

Christine is the Principal of Social Impact Strategies, a Boston-based research and consulting firm working with clients to develop, practice, and advance sustainable models for addressing social and environmental challenges. She is incredibly active in the Boston startup community, mentoring winning teams and businesses at MassChallenge and Cleantech Open.

Robert Malta

Customer Acquisition Coach

Rob graduated from Monsignor Farrell Boys High School, then from Villanova University where he studied Management Information Systems, Marketing, and Business Analytics. Previously, he owned a full service web design and Internet marketing company before working at PwC as a data analytics consultant. His entrepreneurial interests are now focused on the fashion space. Rob currently works at HubSpot in Cambridge, MA.

Michael Oshetsky

Technology Coach

Michael graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where he studies computer science. He has worked as a software engineer for General Dynamics and currently for athenahealth. He specializes in software development and is knowledgeable in Java, Javascript, C, C#, C++, XML, SQL, Perl and others.

Dariush Nejad

Prototyping Coach

Dariush works for LovePop Cards, a 3D greeting card company featured on Shark Tank, as their R&D and Prototyping Manager. He is also the founder of artlovefame and has in the past managed a maker space, where he gained experience working with 3D printers, laser cutters, and other rapid prototyping technology.

Andrew Chapin

Entrepreneur-in-Residence

Andrew has extensive experience in startup sales, scaling, and technology. He is currently the CEO and cofounder of benja, the first true merchandise ad network that works with big brands like Nike, Under Armour, and Patagonia to sell their excess inventory across several proprietary channels. He served as the director of the Global Startup Challenge Boston in 2015 and currently assists as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence.

Notes on the Whiteboard

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